Using Twitter to promote your project

Twitter is a powerful tool for building a network of people who will appreciate your project.

Naming your project’s Twitter account

Let’s say you’re making an independent film. If your movie has a name that can be used as a Twitter name, use that! If not, use something else that’s easy to understand, memorable and meaningful.

Finding your community

With Twellow, you can search Twitter bios for keywords, a great way to find serious potential fans. With a 160-character limit, people only include the things they’re most passionate about in their bios (if they’re smart). There are several other Twellow features that are worth trying too.

Tweepi’s Geeky Follow feature is also useful. It’s safe to assume that people who follow something like the Sundance Film Festival might be interested in your film. With Geeky Follow, you can enter the Sundance Twitter address (@sundancefest) and choose people to follow from among Sundance followers. If they like what you’re doing, they’ll follow you back. If they don’t follow you back after a time, go back to Tweepi and check out the Cleanup feature.

Engaging your community

Mistake number one is talking only about yourself. Mistake number two is oversharing. People don’t have the bandwidth to read about every move you make. Do tweet about interesting things that happen during the movie making, interesting bits of the backstory, or even offer occasional glimpses into your life and personality. But be sure to share other information unrelated to your project that cinephiles would appreciate. Did someone just discover hours of never-before-seen Charlie Chaplin footage? Tweet it, and be sure to include a link. Tweet a link to a lecture your favorite film prof has on iTunes U. This is what they mean by “adding value.” Last bit of advice: Don’t overdo it. The quality of your tweets is much more important than the quantity.

Promoting your project

The great thing about Twitter is that it allows people to share experiences, and the best thing to do is to make your followers feel like they’re sharing in what you’re doing. Post pictures of your team in action on Flickr and tweet links to them (or use a service like TwitPic). Give your followers stuff, like hi-res images of early concept art or storyboards that they can spread around or use as wallpaper. And don’t forget to tweet links back to your Ulule project page every now and then!

You know you’re adding value and doing a good job of promoting your project if you’re being retweeted. Good luck!

As it could be very hard in the beginning to get followers, feel free to engage with people whose tweets you like, and regularely talk with them. If those people like you, they'll say their friends to follow you.. It's a good way to build a strong network.